R&D Project Management Project Planner

Randstad Digital Americas is seeking an R&D Project Planner who will work closely with Project Management Leads to support project goals and maintain reporting information. The role involves generating project plans, monitoring progress, and ensuring compliance with planning systems.

Responsibilities:

• The R&D Project Planner role works closely with and under the direction of Project Management Leads (PMLs) or R&D PMs, providing day to day project planning to support the timely execution of specific project goals and objectives and to maintain accurate reporting information
• The Project Planner supports the PML or R&D PM: Generating and updating accurate day to day project plans under the direction of the PML, requiring interaction with Functional Matrix Teams (FMTs) to understand their activities, their interdependencies across the project
• Gathering updates from FMTs to monitor and reporting progress to the agreed plan, with particular awareness and focus on critical path activities, alerting the PML and R&D PM promptly to facilitate resolution
• Creating and maintaining standard Gantt views for team review, following the R&D PM conventions
• Generating scenario options ahead of project team meetings, sometimes at short notice and on occasion live in group settings
• Presenting and providing detailed planning project knowledge in working meetings, advising teams of interdependencies and in particular impact on the critical path to key milestones
• Ensuring with the PML, that Planisware (the official corporate planning system) is maintained accurately to support downstream Portfolio Reporting and Divisional resource forecasting
• Serves as the Planisware scheduling 'super user' for the R&D Project Management Team
• Provides professional planning direct input and support for multiple Project Teams
• Interacts with the Business Support Organisation (BSO) to maintain Planisware compliance and to facilitate system updates, improvements and user training

Requirements:

• Team player
• Experience using Planisware for project planning purposes
• Ability to collaborate cross-functionally, leveraging appropriate company tools
• Curious and inquisitive mind with confidence to ask questions and seek clarifications
• Excellent technical aptitude and computer software skills
• Aptitude for working with computer systems
• Previous experience or Interest in the drug development process and Project Management
• Working knowledge and ideally a track record of using planning applications e.g. Microsoft Project, Planisware, etc
• Attention to detail
• Problem solver
• Excellent written and verbal communications skills
• Bachelor in science degree or equivalent ideally in a life sciences, mathematics, or engineering discipline
• MUST HAVE: Planisware and Project Planning experience
• must have presentation skills if they have smartsheet/one note experience that is really helpful
• degree is required and preferred (if no degree then a PM certification)
• Project Management Professional Qualification (e.g. PMP, PRINCE2, etc) a plus
• pharma industry preferred/drug development ideal